Ask Difference

Occur Definition and Meaning

By Tayyaba Rehman & Urooj Arif — Updated on March 5, 2024
To occur means to happen or take place, often referring to events, phenomena, or situations that come about or exist without prior planning. e.g., The accident occurred at the intersection.
Occur

Occur Definitions

Result or follow as a natural effect.
Complications can occur after surgery.
Be found or exist.
This species occurs only in Africa.
Come into existence or begin.
A new idea occurred to him.
Come to mind or be thought of.
The solution suddenly occurred to her.
Arise or present itself.
The opportunity occurred unexpectedly.
Appear or be present in something.
A rare mineral occurs in these rocks.
Be experienced or witnessed.
A strange phenomenon occurred last night.
To take place; come about.
To be found to exist or appear
Copper deposits occur in the region.
To come to mind
The idea never occurred to me.
(intransitive) To happen or take place.
The liftoff will occur in exactly twelve seconds.
(intransitive) To present or offer itself.
I will write if the opportunity occurs.
(impersonal) To come or be presented to the mind; to suggest itself.
To be present or found.
The chemical monofluoroacetate occurs in all parts of Dichapetalum cymosum, and is responsible for its toxic effects.
To meet; to clash.
The resistance of the bodies they occur with.
To go in order to meet; to make reply.
I must occur to one specious objection.
To meet one's eye; to be found or met with; to present itself; to appear.
In Scripture, though the word heir occur, yet there is no such thing as "heir" in our author's sense.
To happen; to take place; as, I will write if opportunity occurs.
To come to the mind; to arise in the mind; to suggest itself; to be presented to the imagination or memory; - of an idea or thought; as, it never occurred to me to call John to ask.
There doth not occur to me any use of this experiment for profit.
Come to pass;
What is happening?
The meeting took place off without an incidence
Nothing occurred that seemed important
Come to one's mind; suggest itself;
It occurred to me that we should hire another secretary
A great idea then came to her
Happen or take place.
The meeting will occur next Monday.
Take place or exist at a certain time.
The festival occurs annually.
Be observable or noticeable.
A pattern occurs in these data.

Occur Snonyms

Come about

Happen or occur as a result of something.
He wondered how such a mistake could come about.

Happen

Take place or come to pass.
The accident happened near the intersection.

Take place

Happen or occur.
The concert will take place despite the bad weather.

Manifest

Display or show (a quality or feeling) by one's acts or appearance; become apparent.
His nervousness manifested in his shaky hands.

Arise

Occur or happen.
Problems arise when communication is poor.

Transpire

Occur; happen.
Little did she know what would transpire in the coming days.

Unfold

Open or spread out from a folded position; happen or develop.
The plot unfolds in a series of flashbacks.

Emerge

Become apparent, important, or prominent.
A pattern began to emerge from the data.

Materialize

Become actual fact; happen.
The plans for the new school failed to materialize.

Ensue

Happen or occur afterward or as a result.
Chaos ensued after the unexpected announcement.

Occur Idioms & Phrases

Occur unexpectedly

To happen without warning or anticipation.
The storm occurred unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard.

Rarely occur

To happen infrequently or seldom.
Solar eclipses rarely occur, making them a special event to witness.

Occur at random

To happen without any discernible pattern or predictable order.
The lottery numbers occur at random.

Occur by chance

To happen purely by luck or without planning.
They met and fell in love, purely occurring by chance.

Occur to someone

To come into someone's mind; to have a thought or realization.
It never occurred to him that he might be wrong.

Occur annually

To happen once every year.
The festival occurs annually, attracting thousands of visitors.

Occur overnight

To happen very quickly or suddenly, often surprisingly.
Success doesn't usually occur overnight.

Occur simultaneously

To happen at the same time.
It was a coincidence that the two accidents occurred simultaneously in different parts of the city.

Occur as a result

To happen as a consequence or outcome of something.
Flooding often occurs as a result of heavy rainfall.

Occur in sequence

To happen in a specific order, one after the other.
The events in the story occur in sequence, leading to an unexpected climax.

Naturally occur

To happen by natural processes, without human intervention.
Diamonds naturally occur in certain types of rock formations.

Occur in nature

To happen in the natural world, not made or caused by humans.
Photosynthesis is a process that only occurs in nature.

Occur in tandem

To happen at the same time and often in cooperation with each other.
The improvements in technology and productivity often occur in tandem.

Occur under pressure

To happen in a situation where there is stress or urgency.
The best ideas often occur under pressure.

Occur in the blink of an eye

To happen extremely quickly or in a very short time.
The car accident occurred in the blink of an eye, leaving no time for the drivers to react.

Occur at intervals

To happen periodically or with pauses in between.
The alarm is set to occur at intervals throughout the day.

Occur across the board

To happen in all areas or aspects of something.
Price increases occurred across the board in the industry.

Occur without warning

To happen suddenly and without any prior indication or alert.
The economic crisis occurred without warning, impacting global markets.

Occur in cycles

To happen in a recurring, predictable pattern or sequence.
Economic booms and busts often occur in cycles.

Occur in waves

To happen in successive, often intense, phases.
The protests occurred in waves over several months.

Occur Example Sentences

Changes in weather often occur rapidly.
Such accidents rarely occur in this area.
Mistakes can occur in any project.
The flowering occurs in the early spring.
A thought occurred to him during the walk.
The concert will occur rain or shine.
The eclipse will occur at midnight.
The idea didn't occur to me until later.
The realization suddenly occurred to her.
The event will occur in the town hall.
The discussion occurred at the end of the meeting.
It didn't occur to him to ask for help.
The incident occurred near the school.
The problem occurs frequently in older models.
It occurs to me that we forgot the map.

Common Curiosities

Why is it called occur?

"Occur" comes from the Latin word "occurrere," meaning to run to meet, happen, or present itself.

How do we divide occur into syllables?

"Occur" is divided into syllables as "oc-cur."

What is a stressed syllable in occur?

The stressed syllable in "occur" is the second one: -cur.

How is occur used in a sentence?

Example: "The accident occurred at the intersection."

How many syllables are in occur?

There are two syllables in "occur."

What is the pronunciation of occur?

Occur is pronounced as /əˈkɜːr/.

What is the root word of occur?

The root word of "occur" is the Latin "occurrere."

What is the first form of occur?

The first form (base form) of "occur" is "occur."

What is the third form of occur?

The third form (past participle) of "occur" is "occurred."

What is the singular form of occur?

The singular form is "occurs" as in "It occurs frequently."

Is occur a negative or positive word?

"Occur" is neutral; its connotation depends on the context.

Is occur a vowel or consonant?

"Occur" is a word, not a single vowel or consonant.

Is the word occur imperative?

"Occur" can be used in the imperative form in instructive or hypothetical contexts, although it's uncommon.

Which determiner is used with occur?

Determiners are not typically used directly with "occur" as it is a verb.

What is the verb form of occur?

"Occur" itself is a verb.

What is another term for occur?

Another term for "occur" is "happen."

Is the word “occur” a Direct object or an Indirect object?

"Occur" is a verb and does not serve as a direct or indirect object.

Which vowel is used before occur?

The use of a vowel before "occur" depends on the context and the preceding word.

Is occur a noun or adjective?

"Occur" is a verb.

Is occur an abstract noun?

"Occur" is a verb, so it cannot be an abstract noun.

Is occur a collective noun?

No, "occur" is not a collective noun.

Which article is used with occur?

As a verb, "occur" does not directly take an article.

What is the opposite of occur?

The opposite of "occur" might be "cease" or "not happen."

Is occur an adverb?

No, "occur" is not an adverb.

Is occur a countable noun?

"Occur" is a verb, so it is neither countable nor uncountable.

Is the occur term a metaphor?

"Occur" can be used metaphorically in some contexts.

Which preposition is used with occur?

Prepositions like "before," "after," or "when" can be used with "occur."

Which conjunction is used with occur?

Conjunctions such as "and," "but," or "or" can be used with "occur."

What is the second form of occur?

The second form (past simple) of "occur" is "occurred."

What part of speech is occur?

"Occur" is a verb.

What is the plural form of occur?

The plural form is "occur" as in "Accidents occur often."

Is the word occur Gerund?

The gerund form of "occur" is "occurring."

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Tayyaba Rehman
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.

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